District Of The Day 3: Iowa Senate District 15, Iowa House District 29 & 30

Black
holds over till 2014 in a half Jasper, half Polk seat that changes
little. This is one of the two Senate districts that's split between
congressional districts, because 4 congressional districts equals 25
House districts and 12 1/2 Senate seats. Newton-based House 29 is in the
2nd CD and Altoona-centric House 30 is in the 3rd.

Kelley
stepped into the 2010 race late when incumbent Paul Bell died. Bell won
his last term with 61%. Kelley beat the same opponent, Gabe Swersie,
who was in the race before Bell's death, by a much closer 274 votes.

Swersie
is making his third try this year, but doesn't look like a high
priority despite the close race last time. Changes in the lines net
Kelley about 1000 more Democrats. That and a term under his belt should
help in 2012.

Well, that was interesting. Kim Pearson may be leaving the Legislature, but I'm sure she'll be around one way or another.

Republican
chances in this seat are probably improved by both Pearson's retirement
after one wild and wooly term, and by the changes around the edge of
the district lines. The district pulls all the way into Polk County,
losing its piece of Jasper. It gains some townships north of Bondurant
and over to Elkhart and, to the south, picks up the Polk County part of
Carlisle. This gets rid of more than 1100 Democrats, turning a the
Democratic leaning district long held by conservaDem Geri Huser into a
swing seat. It's number 53 most Democratic, so it's one of the key seats
for House control.

Jim Carley, founder of the tea-partyish Save Our American Republic (SOAR)
announced well before Pearson made her retirement official, but it
almost immediately became clear that she had recruited her own
successor. Carley overwhelmed Carol Miller in the primary, 73-27%.

But Democrats have a solid contender in Joe Riding,
an Altoona city council member who got in before Pearson got out.
Riding has Chamber of Commerce ties, and owns and manages a family golf
course, not a bad fit for this high-growth suburban area. (I have family
in the district and there's not a lot of old trees out here. As Mitt
would say, they're not the right height.)